Part 1 – Marby’s Preliminary Rune Practice

F. B. Marby’s First Runic Exercise: the “I” or “Is” Rune

One of the best introductions to the basic techniques of Runic Exercises is Marby’s Is-rune exercise. It can be performed anywhere and at any time, and should be done as often as possible when one is still trying to familiarize themselves with these types of exercises.

The purpose of the exercise (besides the training aspect) is the general strengthening of the body and of the attention, resulting in an all-around rejuvenation. It can be performed in a standing position (which is preferred) as well as walking and even sitting.

• If standing, then you take the “Basic Military Position”: body erect, eyes focused straight ahead, chin down, chest out, with your feet touching at the heels.
• If walking, keep your feet straight, your elbows slightly bent, and your palms facing forward in a slightly cupped position.
• The sitting form of the exercise is one where you sit straight in a chair, knees together, with your palms on your knees, and the arms held to the body.The only thought that you should have is “I am here”. Practice often and in any location.

 

Marby’s Instructions for the First Rune Exercise

The following introductions for the technique of runic gymnastics was outlined by Marby in the first volume of his Marby-Runen-Bücherei (1931).

1. Inhale for a duration of five seconds, then exhale for five seconds (equivalent to the time it takes to walk 7 normal steps). Maintain a rhythm of breath that is comfortable and make it a regular, then start to expand the duration of the inhalation & exhalation (but always equal). Practice as often as you can and in as many different places as you can.

2. Softly vocalize the vowel “I” (pronounced like ‘tree’, but without the ‘tr’). Do this in a tone and pitch most comfortable and natural for yourself. Practice daily in conjunction with the Is-rune posture.

3. Once this comfortable and natural tone has been mastered, practice raising the pitch of the note as high as you can (without pausing while raising the pitch).

4. Next try expanding the length of the initial “I”-sound to ten seconds. Continue to expand this time to your limits. Practice several times daily.

5. As you raise the tone from your lowest point to its highest level, visualize or sense the energy rising from below your feet out through the top of your head. Each time you repeat the exercise feel the energy of the tone rise from below upward throughout the length of your whole body. Then on the next inhalation begin high and spiral the sound down to the lowest level. Spiral the sound up and down your body with each breath. The overall effect of the sound will be something like a siren. The time period of the actual transition from the highest to the lowest tone is relatively short, usually about four seconds, with the end tone being held for however long is comfortable for you at that stage. Practice several times daily.

6. This step is very similar to the previous one, except here you repeatedly jump from the lowest to the highest tone (of which you are capable without strain and without cracking your voice). Practice daily and often.

7. Again, this is the same as the one above, except you similarly jump from the highest to the lowest tone you are used to making. Practice daily and often.

8. Return to the pattern of step six and jump from the low tone to the high tone. In the performance of exercises six through eight, the duration of each of the tones will be about four to five seconds.

To follow Marby’s instructions correctly, one would always go through the steps in the specified order, mastering the first step before going on to the second, etc. Each subsequent step is added only after the previous one has been practiced for at least seven days. According to this schedule it should take at least 54 days to complete the program. When the program is complete, one will have a solid foundation for the art and practice of runic gymnastics and rune-song.

One can also add basic affirmations to the routine. For the Is-rune, the basic affirmation is the contemplation of the fact that your whole body is an antenna or a magnetic conductor of currents from all five zones of “The Lodge of World Space” (the Cosmos/Universe). All of these currents flow to and through you, and all are running parallel to your own currents. You guide them (see yourself in the midst of the whole cosmos) with the great distances of outer space and inner space above and below you.

According to Marby, the actual results of this program of exercises should be:

• a feeling of overall vitality and strength,
• a feeling of lightness of being and rejuvenation of the soul, and
• a feeling of being effective in action in all that you do (with clearer thoughts and quieter emotions).

Additionally, you should be able to increase your ability to attract people to yourself and to be able to settle strife between people in your immediate environment. You will become calm and vital, and will emit this quality into your surroundings.

-Paraphrase from Friedrich Bernhard Marby’s Rune-Library [Runen-Bücherei] (1931-1935)

 

Part 2 – Kummer’s Preliminary Rune Practice

S. A. Kummer’s Explanation of Runic Exercises and their Purpose

Within us lies the great experience of God and of nature: high cosmic connectedness. Through rune exercises and rune dancing, the student will get to the point where this great experience breaks through again and awakens in their Spirit. This will allow us to experience the all-connectedness and to gain the deepest knowledge of God.

In the past, rune exercises and dances belonged to the highest mysteries, which were considered necessary in order to bring the initiate to the greatest development and to elevate them to the state of the God-Man or God-Woman. Rune positions and dances were the main form of education for priests and led to the development of the highest seers and prophets.

Dear brother or sister, the need of the hour calls you to this work. Always strive to educate yourself in the love of the All-Father, in nobility, beauty and goodness. You can do this because the core of these things lies in your Spirit. As such, you will be able to satisfy the requirements of the future culture and be victorious over beastly humanity. Let us now begin with the exercises…

-Paraphrase from Holy Runic-Power [Heilige Runenmacht] (1932)

 

Kummer’s Basic Rune Practice for the “I”, “Ich ”, or “Is” Rune

“With the Body firm, Face to the North,
Thy Spirit gives thee the commanding Words.
The icy Calm/Peace, according to the Way of the Ur- Father,
Many a Secret is kept within thee.”

The Student must, first of all, learn to fully master/control [beherrsche ] their Body, therefore they do the following Exercise every Morning after washing: One stands in the Middle of the Room in a firm Posture, Heels together (basic military Position) which is the Ich- Rune-Position, and face North.

One’s Body is now ready for Commands, so one says loudly and energetically:

“I am your Supervisor [Vorgesetzter ], you have to obey me fully and completely.

All Muscle-Twitches are eliminated starting today.

You have to submit to me.

Now I want you to stand at attention before your Superior, your Self [Ich* or Inner Being].”

Now the Student tries to spiritually Picture themselves as a member of Divine Humanity. They immerse themselves in this Picture, so much so, that they completely forget the Body. One must wish to see the spiritual Picture ever more clearly, more vividly and more tangibly.

This exercise should take between 10 to 20 minutes. Above all, the Student must gain Calm/Peace [Ruhe ], Patience and Perseverance, which is absolutely necessary in order to penetrate into the Rune-Mysteries.

 
In the Is- Rune-Posture, the Practitioner is tuned in to certain Universal-Waves [Allwellen ] like an Antenna of Nature, through which one incorporates Waves-of-Subtle-Force [Feinkraftwellen ] into oneself according to the Practitioner’s Fundamental-Vibration (either good, healing and invigorating; or corrupt, weakening, and even demonic).

When you sing the “i-i-i” sound in this Position, it resonates through the whole Body, sounding from the Head, from the Top-of-the-Skull, down the Spine, through the Legs, and down to the Middle of the Feet.

If the “i-i-i” Tone is raised in the same Way as when Posing a Question, then the Wave flows upward through the Body in reverse, beginning under the Heels. If the Practitioner sings the “i-i-i” in different Pitches, it also is perceived as a different sensation in the Body. I have been aware of this for years. Friedrich Marby already made this observation before John Gorsleben.

-Paraphrase from Holy Runic-Power [Heilige Runenmacht] (1932)

* Note: The German word ‘Ich’ means “self, one’s person, ego, part of a person which distinguishes itself from others, the ‘I’ part of the psyche”. However, in this context, it is referring to the true Self, which we call “the Being” or “Inner Being” in Gnosis. We have used the term ‘Spirit’ to refer to the Being, the Intimate or Intimus.

 

Kummer’s Complementary Breathing Exercise(s) and Affirmation for the “I”, “Ich ”, or “Is” Rune

Full- and Deep-Breathing through the Nose is a Principal-Condition for all Rune-Exercises and every Student has to make it to the point that they cannot do anything else but full- and deep-breathing, so this Must become a daily requirement. The Initiate of Occultism will already be familiar with Breathing-Theory [Atemlehre ]. The Beginner should remember that proper Breathing is essential for lasting Health, not only for prolonging one’s life, but also for significantly increasing Resilience and Life-Force…

 
(1st Breathing Exercise) The Student positions themselves in front of an open Window, taking up the already mentioned Ich- Rune-Position, pushes out the Chest and slightly raises the Head.

Now one breathes in deeply through the Nose, with the Mouth closed (Internally counting to 7); next push the Air down into the lower Lungs, keeping it down by counting to 5, then one breathes out slowly through the Nose counting to 7 again. The student does this Exercise three-times.

 
(2nd Breathing Exercise) Then one breathes in rhythmically through the Nose for 7 seconds, filling all parts of the Lungs to the utmost; and then breathes out rhythmically for 7 seconds.

Then one repeats the first Exercise three more times. When Inhaling, the Student should imagine that they are taking in a great deal of invigorating Energy [stärkende Energie ], and while Exhaling they should realize that they are expelling all the spent and corrupt Substances from the Body.

Summary of Full Body Rune Breathing Exercise:

1. Take up the Ich- or Is- Rune Position
2. Inhale deeply through the nose for a 7 count (imagine taking in invigorating energy)
3. Hold the breath for a 5 count, pushing the Air down into the lower Lungs
4. Exhale through the nose for a 7 count (imagine expelling spent & corrupt substances)
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for a total of three times
6. Inhale deeply through the nose for a 7 count, filling the Lungs completely (imagine taking in invigorating energy)
7. Exhale through the nose for a 7 count (imagine expelling spent & corrupt substances)
8. Repeat steps 2-4 for a total of three more times

Through these Breathing-Exercises (which are to be performed daily in the morning and evening) a strong Feeling of Calm/Peace and Harmony is achieved.

If the Student is Agitated or was in a Verbal-Exchange with someone, then they should do one of the above Exercises, which will immediately restore their Calm/Peace and then radiate it to the other Person.

Also, the Student should not forget that in the Ich- Rune-Position they consciously stand as a living antenna in a Sea of Currents (Waves) that give them spiritual Force.

Therefore, besides the Exercises, one also accustoms oneself to a straight Posture, as opposed to a bent and sunken posture; likewise, Nervousness and unnecessary Hand-Movements also hinder the Flow of the Universal-Force [All-Kräfte ].

 
(3rd Exercise: Seated) Every day, the Student sits down at an open Window, or in cold Season at a closed Window in a well-ventilated Room. One completely relaxes the Body, does the breathing exercise already mentioned, and directs their Eyes into the Distance with a steady Gaze, if possible to the North or East, and in no way allows oneself to be distracted by Things or Objects that are within one’s Sight. One should switch off all Thoughts and remain in perfect Calm/Peace for a quarter of an hour.

 
(4th Exercise: Evening) Before going to Bed, the Student practices the aforementioned Breathing-Exercise and then, while remaining in the Ich- Rune-Position one says to oneself the following:

“My Self [Ich ] is awake. [Alternatively: ‘I am Awakening’ or ‘My Inner Being is Awakening me’.]

I am a Child of my Humanity, I serve it through higher development and thereby acquire magical Abilities. I consciously [bewusst ] walk the Path towards you, All-Father, therefore I always have your Protection and your Blessing. I love my Brothers and Sisters and I am kind to all People.

I will defeat all Weaknesses in me, thus creating a better, healthier Life for myself. I want to become wise and noble.

With all my Force, I openly fight [bekämpfe ] all the Corruption, Vulgarity/Inferiority and Evil which hinders my spiritual Development.

I live in Harmony and send out only noble, good Thoughts.

Thus, through Thee, All-Father, I will arrive at the luminous Goal!”

Now the Student goes to Bed and sends out good Thoughts and Wishes. They will wake up healthy, happy and well-tuned [wohlgestimmt ]. After washing, they would do their Morning-Exercises and then go about their business.

The above Exercises are to be done for 7 days, but they can be extended to 14 days.

-Paraphrase from Holy Runic-Power [Heilige Runenmacht] (1932)

 

 

Download the Handout for this class:

 

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